Hook-needle mechanism for sewing-machines



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1 64,997. Patented Jan. 11, 1921.

I 3 SHEETS-SHE? 5] w ueutoz R. S. KELSO.

HOOK NEEDLE MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED A.PR.24, 1911.

Patented Jan. 11, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I 2 II I w m R. S. KELSO.

HOOK NEEDLE MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 24, 1911.

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haw/ M Patented Jan. 11, 1921 3 EEEEEEEEEEEE 3- UNITED STATES PATET OFFICE.

RALPH S. KELSO, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO UNION SPECIAL MACHINE COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

HOOK-NEEDLE MECHANISM FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 24, 1917. Serial No. 164,117.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, RALPI-LS. KELSO, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Imorovements in Hook-Needle Mechanism for bewing-Machines, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the ac companying drawing and to the figures of reference marked thereon.

The invention relates to new and useful improvements in hook needle mechanism for sewing machines, and more particularly to the latch or shutter operating mechanism which closes the eye of the hook needle and opens the same .in proper timing for stitching. v v

An object of the invention is to provide a latch or shutter operating mechanism for a hook needle which is positively actuated so as to close the eye of the needle before the hook of the needle passes through the mate rial, thus preventing the hook ofthe needle from engaging the strands of the fabric or.

material being stitched, and which is also positively operated to open the eye ofthe needle just before the hook of the needle passes up through the material so as to enable the previously formed loop in the eye of the needle to pass down over the shank of the needle and thus be shed from the hook of the needle.

A further object of the invention is to provide a latch or shutter operating mechanism of the above character wherein the latch is moved with the needle positively by the actuating mechanism for the needle bar,

and wherein said latch is given a differential movement relative to the needle positively by independent actuating means.

These and other objectswill in part be obvious and will in part be hereinafter more fully disclosed.

In the drawings, which show by way of illustration one tion:

Figure 1 is a view, partly in section, showing a portion of a sewing vmachine having my improved hook needle operating mechanism applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged front view of the needle, its actuating mechanism, the presser foot, the work support, and the mechanism for operating the latches or shutters of the needles;

embodiment of the inven,-'

'Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the hook needle actuating parts at the end of the work supporting arm, also showing in section a portion of the arm;

Fig. 4 is a view, partly in section and partly in plan, on the line H of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail, partly in side elevation and partly in section, showing the needles, the latches for the needles, and the controlling member therefor, the eyes of the needles being open;

Fig. 6 is a similar view but with the latches moved to close the eyes of the needles.

The invention is embodied in a sewing machine having a hook needle which moves through the material to receive the needle thread, after which the hook forms a loop in said needle thread which is drawn through the material. The needle then again moves through the material to form another loop in the needle thread which it draws through the material and through the previously formed loop for forming enchained thread loops. The needle is of the hook needle type, that is, with an open eye, and this open eye is controlled or covered by a sliding latch or shutter.

The latch or shutter is timed in its movements so as to close the eye of the needle as the needle begins its retracting movement and prior to the hook of the needle passing through the material so as to prevent the hook of the needle from engaging any of the strands of the material being stitched. The latch remains closed until the needle begins its forward movement and just be Patented Jan. 11, 1921.

fore the hook passes through the material the latch is shifted so as to open the eye and permit the loop carried by the needle to slide down onto the shank of the needle. This latch controlling the open eye of the needle is moved .with the needle through the actuating mechanism for the needle, and it is moved independent of the needle positively by means independent of the actuating mechanism for the needle.

Referring more in detail to the drawings:

The invention is shown applied to a sewing machine having a standard 1, a work supporting arm 2 carrying a post 3 on which is mounted a work support 4;. The machine, as illustrated in the drawings, is of the two needle type, the needles being indicated at 5 and 6. The needles are carried by a needle bar? which is mounted to reciprocate beneath the work support 4. The material is held on the work support by a presser foot 8. Each needle is provided with a hook or open eye 9. The needle bar 7 reciprocates in suitable bearings carried by the post 3, and said needle bar is raised and lowered or reciprocated by a shaft 10. The shaft 10 carries an arm 11 which is connected by a link 12 with an arm 13 extending laterally from a collar 14 clamped to the needle bar 7. This shaft 10 is oscillated by an eccentric shaft 15 cooperating with an eccentric 16, indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, which eccentric is mounted on the main shaft 17. The needle bar 7 carries two needles 5 and 6, which are clamped to the needle supporting collar 18 secured to the upper end of the needle bar 7.

As above noted, each of the needles is provided with an open eye 9, thus forming a hook needle. Each needle has a latch or shutter 19. These latches are similar in construction and are operated by the same mechanism. The latch slides in a groove in the side of the needle. Each latch is provided with spaced lugs 20 and 21. On each needle is a collar 22. The collar is free to slide on the shank of the needle on which it is mounted. Said collar has a projecting portion 23 which is slotted to receive the lug 20. The collar proper is located between the lugs 20 and 21, and any endwise movement of the collar will be imparted through these lugs to the latches or shutters 19. Each eollar has a groove 24 formed therein and an arm 25 is provided with two recesses 25, one for each collar, and the collars are so shaped that any endwise movement of the arm 25 will be imparted to these collars lengthwise of the needle shanks (see Figs. 5 and 6). The arm 25 is secured by screws 26 and 27 to the upper end of a link 28. The link 28 is pivoted to a rock lever 29 which, in turn, is pivoted at 30 to a bracket 31 projecting laterally from the collar 14 on the needle bar. The rock lever 29 has a horizontally projecting arm which is pivoted to this bracket 31 and a vertically projecting arm which carries a roller 32. The roller 32 runs in a guiding slot 33 formed in a guiding member 34.

This guiding member 34 is also formed with a horizontally projecting portion 35 which supports the guiding member. This horizontal portion is pivoted to the parallel arms 36 and 37. The arm 36 is pivoted at 38 to a lug carried by the frame, while the arm 37 is secured to a shaft 39. This shaft 39 is journaled in suitable bearings in the work supporting arm. The shaft 39 is oscillated by a link 40 which is pivotally connected to a rock shaft 41 having an arm carrying a roller running in a cam groove 42 in the cam disk 43 mounted on the main shaft 17. As this shaft 17 rotates, the arm of the needles.

37 will be vibrated, and this will cause the arm 36 to vibrate, and as these arms are of the same length and parallel, the vertical guiding slot will be moved laterally but maintained in vertical position.

From the above construction, it will be apparent that the rock lever will be moved bodily up and down by the reciprocation of the needle bar and this imparts a movement to the latches or shutters in unison with the movements of the needles. A shifting of the guiding slot 33 will oscillate the rock lever 29, and this will impart a differ ential movement to the latches or shutters.

relative to their movement with the needles. The shaft 39 is so timed that, when the needles are clear down, the latches or shutters are raised, so as to close the open eyes As the needles begin their upward movements, the arm 37 is moved to the right, as viewed in Fig. 2, and this moves the guiding member 34 to the right, which swingsthe roller 32 and: the rock lever on which it is mounted. This movementof the rock lever 29 retards the upward movement of the arm '25 carrying the latches so that the needles move up faster than the latches and this causes the books of the needles to be opened. As soon as the latches are'moved to position for opening the hooks, then the arm 37 ceases its movement and the roller 32 will move along the guiding slot 33 without imparting further movements to the latches,.and then, of course, the latches will move in timing with the needles. The opening of the hooks occurs just before the hooks pass up through the material, and this enables the loops carried by the hooks to slide down over the shanks of the needles preparatory to the shedding of the loops.

When the needles reach the upper end of their strokes, the eyes or hooks of the needles are open, so thatthe thread laying devices may lay threads in said open eyes. As the needles begin their downward movement, the shaft 39 is given a slight movement so as to shift the arm 37 j to the left, as viewed in Fig. 2,.and this retards the downward movement of the latches so that theneedles in a measure slide down the latches until the open eyes of the hooks are closed. This, of

course, occurs after the threads have been laid in the respective eyes, but also before the hooks pass through the material on their downward movement.

From the above description, it will be apparent that I have provided a mechanism for moving the latches or shutters of the needles wherein said latches or shutters throughout a greater portion of their move ment are moved positively with the needles and by the needle actuating mechanism, while at the ends of the strokes of the needles said latches are given a differential movement relativeto the movement of the r nee es so as to c ose tie open eyes or tiroats ot the hooks oi the needles in proper time to hold the thread loops and prevent the hooks of the needles from engaging the material and also to permit the opening of the eyes of the hook needles so that the loops carried thereby may slide down and onto the shanks of the needles preparatory to the shedding of the loops.

It is obvious that minor changes in the details of construction and the arrangement of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1. The combination of a needle having an open eye forming a hook, mechanism for actuating the needle, a latch mounted on said needle for closing said open eye, means whereby said latch is positively moved with the needle by the needle actuating mechanism, and means for positively imparting to said latch a differential movement relative to the movement of the needle for closing the eye-for retaining the loop on the needle and preventing the hook of the needle from engaging the fabric and for opening the eye when the needle is withdrawn from the material for shedding the loop onto the shank of the needle.

2. The combination of a needle having an open eye forming a hook, mechanism for actuating the needle, a latch for closing said open eye, an arm connected to the latch for moving the same, means for positively mov ing said arm from the needle actuating mechanism and in timing with the movements of the needle, and independent means for positively moving said arm for imparting a differential movement to the latch relative to the needle for closing the open eye of the needle to hold the loop and prevent the hook of the needle from engaging the material, and for opening the eye of the needle When the hook is Withdrawn from the material to permit the shedding of the loop onto the shank of the needle.

3. The combination of a needle having an open eye forming a hook, mechanism for actuating the needle, a latch for closing said open eye, an arm connected to said latch, a rock lever having a horizontally extending arm connected to said first named arm, a bracket carried by the needle .bar on which said rock lever is fulcrumed, a guiding member having a slot formed therein, a roller carried by the other arm of the rock lever and engaging said guiding member, and means for shifting said guiding member to impart a differential movement to the latch relative to the movement of the needle.

4. The combination of a needle having an open eye forming a hook, mechanism for actuating the needle, a latch for closing said open eye, an arm connected to said latch, a rock lever having a horizontally extending arm connected to said first named arm, a bracket carried by the needle bar on which said rock lever is fulcrumed, a guiding member having a slot formed therein, a roller carried by an arm on the rock lever and engaging said guiding member, parallel arms supporting said guiding member, and means for oscillating one of said arms for shifting the vertical position of said slot for imparting a differential movement to the latch relative to the movement of the needle.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

RALPH S. KELSO.

Witnesses J AMES R. MOFFATT, STEDMAN THOMAS. 

